Cambridge, Mass. – Bradley Joumard scored 16 of his game-high 20 points in the second half and host MIT won its fourth straight contest, topping Clark University 56-51 in the New England Women's And Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) men's basketball opener for both teams at Rockwell Cage.

The win for the Engineers shoots their overall record to 9-2 and is their third consecutive win over the Cougars dating back to the 2013-14 season.

For the Scarlet and White, meanwhile, they see their brief two-game winning streak go by the wayside and now sit at 3-9 overall.

MIT led for most of the contest, shooting a season-best 56 percent from the field in the process and led by as many as 11 late in the second half.

Despite allowing the Engineers to shoot a sizzling 60 percent in the first half, the Cougars stayed close and were only down by three at halftime, 25-22.

After Lamar Berk (Saint Augustine, Fla.) scored six straight points for Clark early in the second half, the score was tied at 36-36.

MIT answered with a quick 7-0 burst of their own and Ryan Frankel was in the middle of it all. First he assisted on a Jomard three-pointer, then he scored on a jumper of his own and then finally he found Lampros Tsontzos for an inside hoop.

A few moments later, the Engineers moved their lead to its peak when Frankel connected with Tim Roberts for an easy deuce and Jomard knocked down a jumper, making the score 52-41 with less than six minutes left to play.

The Cougars made one final push, getting to within four at 54-50 following a Berk jumper and a Luca McCormick (Bradenton, Fla.) triple with 2:24 to play, but that would be as close as they would get as the Engineers held on for the win.

Clark shot just 37 percent from the field on the night and were outrebounded, 34-20. The Cougars did force 17 turnovers, converting them into 16 points and they were incredibly careful with the ball themselves, committing a season-low seven turnovers.

Berk led the Scarlet and White with a career-best 18 points and six rebounds, while McCormick (ten) was the only other Clark player in double figures.

The Cougars will return to the court on Saturday with a home contest against Wheaton. Tip for that game is slated for 3:00 p.m.